Locicortolone is an anti-inflammatory and antiallergic synthetic glucocorticoid. It has high glucocorticoid cytoplasmic receptor binding affinity in vitro (more than four times higher than dexamethasone) but comparable to dexamethasone relative TAT (tyrosine aminotransferase induction) activity. It has six times lower binding affinity to mineralocorticoid receptor in comparison to dexamethasone.

Among the naturally occurring trichothecenes in food and feed, T-2 toxin is a cytotoxic fungal secondary metabolite produced by various species of Fusarium. Following ingestion, T-2 toxin causes acute and chronic toxicity and induces apoptosis in the immune system and fetal tissues. T-2 toxin is usually metabolized and eliminated after ingestion, yielding more than 20 metabolites. Consequently, there is a possibility of human consumption of animal products contaminated with T-2 toxin and its metabolites. The molecular mechanism of inhibition of protein synthesis may be the high affinity of T-2 toxin for the 60S ribosomal subunit.

Aldeyra’s lead product candidate, reproxalap (formerly ADX 102 or NS-2), is a small molecule RASP (Reactive Aldehyde Species) inhibitor in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of dry eye disease, allergic conjunctivitis, noninfectious anterior uveitis, and Sjögren-Larsson syndrome. NS-2 has been tested in a variety of in vitro and preclinical models, and has demonstrated the ability to trap free aldehydes, diminish inflammation, reduce healing time, protect key cellular constituents from aldehyde damage, and lower the potential for scarring or fibrosis. NS-2 has been tested in a variety of toxicity studies in animals and appears to be generally safe and well tolerated. NS-2 has an orphan drug status for the treatment of Sjogren-Larsson syndrome.

Fiboflapon sodium (GSK2190915) is a high affinity 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein inhibitor being developed for the treatment of asthma. The compound was originally developed by Amira Pharmaceuticals. Fiboflapon sodium (GSK2190915) exhibits excellent preclinical toxicology and pharmacokinetics in rat and dog. GSK2190915 also demonstrated an extended pharmacodynamic effect in a rodent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) model. Oral administration of Fiboflapon sodium (GSK2190915) (1 mg/kg) resulted in sustained inhibition of ex vivo ionophore-challenged whole blood LTB4 biosynthesis with >90% inhibition for up to 12 h and an EC50 of approximately 7 nM. When rat lungs were challenged in vivo with calcium-ionophore, Fiboflapon sodium inhibited LTB4 and cysteinyl leukotriene (CysLT) production with ED50s of 0.12 mg/kg and 0.37 mg/kg, respectively. Fiboflapon sodium is in Phase-II for Asthma (Adjunctive treatment) in Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria, USA, United Kingdom and Canada (PO).

Defoslimod is an analog of lipopolysaccharide endotoxin-derived lipid A obtained from E. coli, developed as an immunomodulatory adjuvant and an immunotherapeutic agent for the treatment of cancer. Defoslimod acts as an agonist of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2/4. In a phase 1 clinical study in patients with solid tumors, conducted in 2007, defoslimod was administered as an intravenous infusion. The therapy was well tolerated at biologically active concentrations, with 3 patients of 17 exhibited disease stabilization with a mean duration of 4 months. No further development of the drug was reported.

Alseres Pharmaceuticals is developing an 123I-labelled imaging agent, Altropane®, as a diagnostic aid in Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. Altropane is a molecular-imaging agent that specifically binds to the dopamine transporter (DAT) protein found on the surface of dopamine-producing neurons, making it visible during SPECT imaging. Since most forms of Parkinsonian Syndromes result in a decreased number of dopamine-producing cells, it would be expected that these patients also have fewer DATs than do patients without PS. Thus, it is believed that altropane used in conjunction with SPECT imaging could be a useful test to distinguish Parkinsonian Syndrome tremors from non-Parkinsonian tremor: non-Parkinsonian patients would have more altropane-binding visible in the SPECT image, while Parkinsonian patients would have less. The E isomer of (123)I-2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-fluorophenyl)-N-(1-iodoprop-1-en-3-yl)nortropane (Altropane(R)) shows high affinity (IC(50) = 6.62 +/- 0.78 nmol) and selectivity (DA/5-HT = 25) for DAT sites in the striatum. Altropane is presently in Phase III clinical development for the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

Ravatirelin is a thiazolyl-alanine derivative patented by Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi & Co., Ltd. as a thyrotropin-releasing compound with improved central nerve activating effects such as sustained acetylcholine-releasing effect, and spontaneous motility increasing effect. Rovatirelin binds to the human thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptor with nanomolar affinity and increases the spontaneous firing of action potentials in the acutely isolated noradrenergic neurons of rat locus coeruleus. In in vivo studies, oral administration of Ravatirelin increased both c-Fos expression in the LC and extracellular levels of noradrenaline in the medial prefrontal cortex of rats. Furthermore, Ravatirelin increased locomotor activity. The increase in noradrenaline level and locomotor activity by Ravatirelin was more potent and longer acting than those by taltirelin. In phase I studies in healthy adult males, Ravatirelin exhibited linear pharmacokinetics in a single-ascending dose (0.1 to 10 mg) and a benign safety profile supportive of once-daily oral administration. From results of Phase II and III studies to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ravatirelin in spinocerebellar degeneration patients, a daily dose of 1.6 to 3.2 mg of Ravatirelin has been considered to be dosage level intended for clinical use as once-daily oral administration.

Elbimilast or ronomilast (previously ELB 353) is a phosphodiesterase IV (PDE4) inhibitor. It has been investigated in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Neosaxitoxin is a site-1 specific sodium channel blocker which acts synergistically with local anesthetics to provide surgical anesthesia by peripheral nerve blocks or local infiltration and markedly increases the duration of post-operative analgesia. Saxitoxin and neosaxitoxin, small molecules synthesized by marine dinoflagellates and freshwater cyanobacteria. Neosaxitoxin, one of the saxitoxin analogs, differs from saxitoxin by the addition of one oxygen atom, wherein the hydrogen (-H) at Nitrogen 1 in saxitoxin is replaced by a hydroxyl group (-OH) in neosaxitoxin. Neosaxitoxin has shown greater potency than saxitoxin and its analogs and is also more potent than tetrodotoxin in in vitro and in vivo animal studies.Neosaxitoxin showed an effective local anesthetic effect when injected in the subcutaneous plane. The efficacy of a 50-ug dose of neosaxitoxin was shown. Neosaxitoxin has poor affinity for the cardiac isoform of the sodium channel and does not cross the blood–brain barrier, thus this compound is virtually devoid of cardiac and central nervous system toxicity—the limiting toxicities of traditional local anesthetics.